Why Japan does not celebrate the lunar new year


Japan does not celebrate the lunar new year
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Many countries located in East or South East Asia celebrate lunar new year. How about Japan?  Does Japan celebrate lunar new year?  We will dig into the topic of Japan and the lunar new year.

 Before the Meiji period, Japan followed the Chinese lunar calendar. In 1872 after the restoration of the Meiji government, Japan adopted the Gregorian calendar. This essentially means that the 1st of January became New year’s day officially. There are some other countries like Korea, Vietnam, etc that still celebrate the Lunar year.

Differene between the lunar and Gregorian Calendar

  • The lunar calendar is subject to the moon. It is the moon phases that shape the Lunar calendar.
  • The solar calendar is privy to the completion of the revolution of the earth around the sun. The duration for the earth to complete a revolution around the earth is 365 days.

Kyutoku- Japanese Calendar

Tokugawa made the Japanese calendar called ‘Kyutoku’. This calendar was used to collect tax from the Japanese farmers at the same seasons, as there was no formal way of keeping the tax records.

Tradition of setsubun

Despite the fact that Japan does not celebrate the lunar new year like the Chinise do,  both cultures have a tradition that is celebrated alike. In Japan it is the celebration of Setsubun. People roast soybeans and spread them across temples and homes saying the words “Oni wa soto fuku wa uchi” which means to Out with the demons, in with the happiness.

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The reason why Japan does not celebrate the lunar new year

Japanese believe a deity called ‘Toshigami-sama’ visits all the houses across the country on the eve of new year. The deity brings good fortune and new life for the new year. The new year is celebrated to pay homage to the deity. The visit of the deity was align with a calendar for the new year.

Decision of the Meiji Government to change the calendar

The Meiji government changed the calendar in 1872. Thus people adjusted their festivals and other annual events according to the new calendar.

The Meiji government had to change its calendar owing to,

  • The Treaty of Amity and Commerce signed between Japan and America in 1858
  • To prevent western colonization of Japan
  • To make a modern contry like the US or European countries

The government wished to replicate the western modern development to make Japan wealthy and strong. As only a wealthy nation could withstand the extending tentacles of colonization.

The changing of the calendar was considered to be a step towards westernization or modernization that was considered a necessity. There was huge opposition to the decision because it was too sudden. But people had to settle in over time.

While they celebrate New Years Day on January 1st in most parts of Japan, in some parts of Japan there are still tranditions of celebrading new year according to lunar calendar. Okinawa Perfectuer is one example.  Also, most Japanese people today do not know that  lunar new year is or when it is.  

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Michelle Gram Smith
Michelle Gram Smith is an owner of www.parentsmaster.com and loves to create informational content masterpieces to spread awareness among the people related to different topics. Also provide creating premium backlinks on different sites such as Heatcaster.com, Sthint.com, Techbigis.com, Filmdaily.co and many more. To avail all sites mail us at [email protected].